1892.
Oct. 6
(No 2)
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord. meadow edge of the Covanturn woods
they found a belt of glowing scarlet, crimson
and gold most effectively brought out and intensified
by contrast with the perfect green of the oaks &
pines which cover the hillside behind & above them.
Most of the bright coloring on Martha's Point
was supplied by the hickories which have now
generally put on their old gold tints.
  This was a Hawk day. I saw seven Sharp-shins, 
two Cooper's, three Marsh Hawks, one Pigeon Hawk,
two Red-shouldered and one Red-tailed Hawk.
With the exception of one of the Red-shouldered,
which was perched on a tree, all these birds
were flying, not in any one direction but
scaling, soaring in circles, or beating up against
the strong wind by short vertical tacks, now
rising to meet the blasts or to gain sufficient
elevation to skim off for half a mile or more
on a gentle incline towards the earth. Of
course it was a migratory flight - a Hawk
wave which had rolled down to us from
the north but, as already stated, the birds
were not apparently prosecuting their southward
journey when seen by me. Nor was there any
indication that they were looking for food.
They seemed rather to be roaming aimlessly
over the country & sporting with the high wind.
The Sharp-shins soared a great deal more than
is usual with them. One bird of this species
was an old male in very high plumage. As he
[margin]Heavy flight of Hawks[/margin]